Kentucky · SECKenny Minchey powers Kentucky past South Carolina in overtime
Minchey threw three touchdowns and the winning two-point conversion as Kentucky reached 4–1 ahead of its Oct. 10 home test against LSU.
OCT 5, 2026
Kentucky’s overall record
Points in the deficit Kentucky erased
Minchey’s passing line
01 · The NewsMinchey Powers Kentucky Past South Carolina
Kentucky erased a 17-point deficit Saturday, Oct. 3, then beat South Carolina 35–34 in overtime when Kenny Minchey threw the game-winning two-point conversion to Willie Rodriguez.
The victory moved Kentucky to 4–1 overall and 2–1 in the SEC, with road wins at Texas A&M and South Carolina. It also made Will Stein the first Kentucky coach to win his first two SEC road games.
Stein told Tom Leach that Minchey looked different while leading the comeback.
“He was cold-blooded tonight. Now, that dude was playing. He had a different look in his eye,” Stein said.
Kentucky’s offense had only 18 yards and one first down in the opening quarter. South Carolina sacked Minchey twice. Minchey answered with 28 completions on 41 attempts for 272 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. All three touchdowns came after halftime.
The performance made Minchey the first Kentucky quarterback since Jared Lorenzen at Vanderbilt in 2001 to post those passing numbers in an SEC road game. He also rushed for four first downs and had 31 rushing yards excluding sack yardage, including two first-down runs in the fourth quarter.
In overtime, Minchey hit Henry Boyer for a 6-yard touchdown. Kentucky then went for two, and Rodriguez secured the winning throw. Stein ran onto the field to celebrate with his team and pulled Minchey into a hug on the way to a postgame interview.
02 · The StakesThe LSU Test
Now LSU comes to Lexington on Oct. 10 for a game that can separate a breakthrough season from a strong start. Josh Pate’s preseason bracket placed LSU in the College Football Playoff field, giving Kentucky a direct test of that projection and of its own SEC and postseason path.
03 · The Detail Beneath the HeadlineWhat Most People Are Missing
The comeback carried extra weight for a roster with more than 60 newcomers. Kentucky sped up after halftime, while Minchey said the Wildcats stayed focused on the next play instead of the entire deficit.
“He was cold-blooded tonight. Now, that dude was playing. He had a different look in his eye”
Will Stein04 · The ChessboardWhat the Coaches Can Actually Change
“I’ll say just having a one-play focus because you never know when a big play is going to come. So, obviously, we didn’t come out here being like, hey, we’re gonna start slow in the first quarter and crank it back up, but yeah, just everybody doing their job, and things just started to click. Obviously, I think we started to go a little bit more tempo. That definitely helped us out, and the coaches were calling great plays, and receivers were getting open. O-line was blocking, we were running the ball, and then yeah, just everybody just doing their job, really,” Minchey said.
05 · The ThesisThe Pate State Read
The win snapped South Carolina’s four-game winning streak in the series and gave Kentucky its second SEC road victory. The Wildcats’ only loss came against Alabama, 45–17, on Sept. 12. LSU brings the next measuring point to Kroger Field at 7 p.m. ET on Oct. 10. Kentucky has not confirmed whether Minchey will start against LSU. Stein’s postgame assessment left no doubt about how he viewed the quarterback’s performance. “I mean, he’s elite. He’s so calm in the chaos and very proud of him. This is a giant growth moment for him, being down the way that we were, battling back. You know, no panic, no nothing. Just, hey, next-play mentality, and he was excellent tonight,” Stein said.
06 · The Watch ListWhat We're Watching
Can Kentucky start faster?
The Wildcats had only 18 yards and one first down in the opening quarter against South Carolina.
Does Minchey get the next start?
Kentucky has not confirmed whether Minchey will start against LSU.
Can the comeback formula travel?
Minchey said Kentucky sped up after halftime and stayed focused on the next play instead of the entire deficit.